When Netflix’s “One Piece” live-action remake was announced, it was met with wariness. And why wouldn’t it be? The track record of the successful anime-to-live-action pipeline is bleak. “Death Note” (2017) was whitewashed and faithless to the original, and “Cowboy Bebop” (2021) was criticized by the original anime director, Shinichirō Watanabe, who felt the whole production was generally off-putting (“It was clearly not ‘Cowboy Bebop,’” he said in an interview with Forbes). Considering “One Piece,” the long-standing 1,000-plus episode anime based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda, there was no room for an adaptation of the same missteps.
As a producer for hit series like ABC’s “Lost” and “CSI: Miami” and showrunner for shows like “Pan Am” (2011) and “Helix” (2014), Steven Maeda was more than up for the challenge. And the proof speaks for itself, seeing as “One Piece” is currently being lauded as one of the most successful live-action anime adaptations ever. It’s certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has garnered praise from critics and fans alike.
Character Media sat down with Maeda ahead of the show’s second-season renewal to discuss just how they dodged the curse that befell so many others.
CM: Translating a manga to live-action is often difficult because fans can be so passionate and vocal. How did you go about adapting “One Piece” while keeping fans of the original in mind?
SM: A huge part was making sure fans were pleased and [that] they were having a similar experience to reading the manga or watching the anime. That was key — trying to make sure if [we made] a change, it was something that reflected the spirit of the original material.
Oda-san, [“One Piece”’s original creator], was very instrumental in putting his seal of approval on everything. It’s his sandbox, and we were invited to play in it.
CM: There are over a thousand episodes in the anime. How did…
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